43.2

Risk Grade

Good

Coastal SC county with timber/industrial heritage that offsets coastal regulatory complexity; moderate compliance score reflects CUP requirement and OCRM coordination; three approved projects demonstrate viable pathway; Winyah Bay area slightly elevates risk versus pure inland rural counties

Assessment Snapshot

Population

61605

State Rank

#18

Compliance

40%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

150 ft from residential; 75 ft from road ROW; coastal setbacks per SCDHEC OCRM near bay

Zoning Mechanism

CUP via Georgetown County Planning Commission; County Council approval; OCRM coordination for coastal-proximate parcels

Acreage Caps

None established

Spacing Rules

Not specified

Size Restrictions

None formal

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Supportive

Basis for Assessment

Timber and paper industry legacy creates pro-industrial-land-use culture; county council approves CUPs routinely; Dominion/Santee Cooper both active; some coastal resort area sensitivity but inland rural parcels face no opposition

Political Risk Factors

Stable

Board Members

County Council Chair Louis Morant | D | Term 2024–2028; Council Member Raymond Newton | D | Term 2022–2026; Council Member Bob Anderson | R | Term 2024–2028

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

SERC-SE; Dominion Energy South Carolina; Santee Cooper

Utilities

Dominion Energy South Carolina, Santee Cooper / Horry Electric Cooperative

State Permitting Process

County zoning authority; no state solar preemption; special exception or conditional use permit typically required for utility-scale (>1 MW); decommissioning bond increasingly required

State Incentives

Federal ITC eligible; SC state income tax credit for solar (25% up to $35,000 for commercial); SC Energy Freedom Act net metering provisions

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects

Andrews Solar (~35 MW, 2021, Santee Cooper PPA); Hemingway-Georgetown Solar (~40 MW, 2022); Georgetown Solar (~25 MW, 2023, Dominion)

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

None on record

Explore the Full Tracker

View risk assessments for all 3,100+ US counties, compare states, and download detailed ordinance data for your solar development pipeline.

Launch SolarRisk Tracker

Georgetown County County, SC — Solar Development Risk Assessment